Can you spare 15 minutes, three times a week?

CaptionI don't have the time/money to keep getting fresh fruit and vegetables.

Alex Garcia/Chicago Tribune

Get freeze-dried fruit and frozen vegetables instead of fresh ones if you really don't have the funds or nearby locations to dedicate to buying fresh produce. Defrost when you're ready to eat it, and keep healthy snacks around your home. Get rid of junk food. The more handy it is, the more...

Get freeze-dried fruit and frozen vegetables instead of fresh ones if you really don't have the funds or nearby locations to dedicate to buying fresh produce. Defrost when you're ready to eat it, and keep healthy snacks around your home. Get rid of junk food. The more handy it is, the more... (Alex Garcia/Chicago Tribune)

There are fitness clubs full of people who want to work out with you, as well as exercise classes with like-minded individuals. Use the other people in your class as inspiration and maybe you'll find a workout buddy, too.

There are fitness clubs full of people who want to work out with you, as well as exercise classes with like-minded individuals. Use the other people in your class as inspiration and maybe you'll find a workout buddy, too. (Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times)

You're not expected to break out into a Serena Williams workout, but don't let your hair be the reason you don't exercise. Find a stylish headband, put it in a ponytail or bun, or wear your hair wavy/natural. It may be fun to find other stress-free hairstyles you like during the days you...

You're not expected to break out into a Serena Williams workout, but don't let your hair be the reason you don't exercise. Find a stylish headband, put it in a ponytail or bun, or wear your hair wavy/natural. It may be fun to find other stress-free hairstyles you like during the days you... (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

In 2005, Runner's World Magazine named San Francisco the best city for running in the United States based on its weather, the number of running clubs, racing events and the the ample park space available for runners. But every neighborhood won't have these kinds of perks (in 2005, 2011 or any...

In 2005, Runner's World Magazine named San Francisco the best city for running in the United States based on its weather, the number of running clubs, racing events and the the ample park space available for runners. But every neighborhood won't have these kinds of perks (in 2005, 2011 or any... (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

If you don't have time for the recommended half hour daily workout, how about 10 minutes? Put more energy into your daily physical activities. Take the stairs to and from the cafeteria and on your way in and out of the office. Carry light groceries in hand instead of dumping them into a car...

If you don't have time for the recommended half hour daily workout, how about 10 minutes? Put more energy into your daily physical activities. Take the stairs to and from the cafeteria and on your way in and out of the office. Carry light groceries in hand instead of dumping them into a car... (Shaun Curry/AFP/Getty Images)

"If you're doing nothing, this is absolutely a step in the right direction," says Karas, who blogs (and sells his fitness products) at jimkaras.com. Just those 45 minutes weekly will rev up your metabolism, increase your energy, and make you look and feel better, he says.

Karas brags that after an appearance years ago on "Good Morning America," he cornered Diane Sawyer and delivered the bad news: She needed to lose 25 pounds. "She was shocked, but I got her attention." (And became her trainer to help her do it.)

For those of us who aren't Diane Sawyer, who have put off starting an exercise program, he insists that we don't need to spend hours a week on a treadmill.

"You don't have to have equipment. You don't have to go to the gym," he says.

Instead, Karas recommends taking three basic exercises — pushups, Pilates planks, and squats or lunges — and doing each until "you're almost out of breath." Then repeat the series "until you fill up 15 minutes" three times weekly. Instructions for all of these are all over the Internet.

And yes, he disagrees with federal guidelines that recommend 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity (or 21/2 hours of moderate exercise).

In most exercise regimens, "the neglected variable is intensity," Karas says. "If you really get in there and get the job done, you optimize results and you save yourself time."

The last thing many pre-teen girls want to do is run 1 mile, let alone three. But a group of elementary school girls in Boca Raton has been meeting each Sunday, getting in shape for a 5K race as they learn self-confidence, teamwork and how to eat more healthfully.

Gay rights advocates say some health care providers continue to mistreat or turn away patients because of sexual orientation, despite a growing number of regulations prohibiting such discrimination. They say many patients don't know they can fight back.